


get jinxed

by chronoshift



Category: League of Legends RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronoshift/pseuds/chronoshift
Summary: Brief excerpts in the education of mischief-maker Lee Sanghyuk.Also known as a Harry Potter AU.





	get jinxed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stepstostars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepstostars/gifts).



> this is 1.) almost a year overdue 2.) tenuously built on the flimsiest of worlds (is this korea? is this hogwarts? IS IT BOTH? i nearly called hogsmade "hognam") but i hope you enjoy it, m, as much as i enjoy you. 
> 
> title is from the riot song. shout out to the section with sky and bdd (excuse me, Bdd) that had to get cut but just know it would've been cute. also the animagus stuff is totally fudged!!

The first time Sanghyuk uses magic, he’s eight years old. It’s the same year his mother leaves and his father’s hair starts to go gray with the stress of raising two boys. Later, one of Sanghyuk’s professors at Hogwarts will talk about how strong emotional reactions may trigger early magic use in muggleborn children who are not yet aware of their own abilities. There’s a famous case where a man attempted to kidnap a five-year-old girl and before he could get her into his van, she unleashed a powerful defensive spell that blasted off the van door, much to the confusion of her parents and authorities.

Sanghyuk’s own magic use is hardly as heroic. He’d never been known for his emotionality, always slow-to-warm, barely even crying when he was brought home from the hospital as a baby. When his father sat him down to tell him about his mother, Sanghyuk’s reaction was only a solemn nod. It may not have been immediately obvious but this sudden loss, this change in his life made unexpectedly and without his consent, threw him off more than he let on. He may not have cried but there was an anger simmering under the surface of his skin. He's been grumpy at school and grumpier at home, snapping at his grandmother when she chastises him for spending so much time on the computer. 

Sanghyuk also finds his patience growing thin with his younger brother. They’d always fought like normal kids, arguing over personal space or shared possessions or the last serving of food, but the new pressure at home ramps up their bickering.

They’re wrestling over Sanghyuk’s DS. His brother had been using it without permission and now refuses to give it back, using the same “I just need to finish this level!” excuse that Sanghyuk has used hundreds of times to delay his chores or coming to dinner. It doesn’t work on his father and it won’t work on Sanghyuk either.

“I don’t care, it’s _mine_ ,” Sanghyuk says, trying to reach around his brother’s back. “Give it back.”  
“You never share anything!” his brother cries out.

Sanghyuk isn’t aware of his emotions rising, the magic that had lain dormant until now sparking under his fingertips. “Because it’s mine.”

“You’re such a mean big brother,” Sangwon says as he takes off running down the hallway, DS still clutched in his hands. “I hate-“

Neither of them are expecting what happens next. In an instant, Sangwon trips. Not over his own feet, not over any real object, but he trips over the air itself, as if an invisible barricade has sprung up and blocked his path. Sangwon falls, losing his grasp on the DS, but before it hits the floor and shatters, Sanghyuk swears it floats downward, landing with a gentle thud instead.

Sanghyuk is the first to move, weaving around Sangwon's body to grab the DS, running off with it before Sangwon has even had a chance to get to his feet. In the triumph of retrieving his favorite possession, he forgets all about the invisible force and the impossibility of it.

 

☆

 

Magic comes easy to Sanghyuk. He was a good student in muggle school, but nothing was nearly as effortless as performing spells. His wand feels, at times, like an extension of his own arm, moving in sync with his mind with the same ease as lifting his hand.

“It’s not fair,” Lee Dayoon, a Hufflepuff first year says glumly. He’s still struggling with the proper hand position for a simple levitation spell. “Are you sure you’re muggleborn?”

Other Ravenclaws liked books and studying. Sanghyuk does too – after all, he was put in this house for a reason – but what he really enjoys is practicing, spending hours repeating charms until his fingers cramp around his wand. He likes being the best.

The part of school that doesn’t come quite as easy to Sanghyuk is making friends. There aren’t a lot of Ravenclaws he gets along with. The competitive nature of the house means that he stands out for his skill, and more people are interested in beating him than befriending him. The closest he comes is one of his roommates, Eugene, who shares sarcastic comments with Sanghyuk under his breath in their History of Magic class.

During group work in potions, Sanghyuk ends up paired with two Slytherin and a small Hufflepuff whose meek voice is drowned out by Junsik and Hyukkyu’s bickering.

“It’s eye of newt first, dumbass. Weren’t you even listening to Professor Kim’s lecture?” Junsik says. Professor Kim typically writes their recipes on the board if they aren't in the book, but today he taught on the importance of careful attention to detail, leaving the groups to replicate a potion from memory.

“I _was_ listening,” Hyukkyu says. He speaks with a sort of quiet boredom that gives off the impression that he's always on the verge of falling asleep. “And he said neem oil first.”

“I think he said-“ Kyumin tries to say.

“Sanghyuk,” Junsik interrupts. “What do you think?”

Junsik and Hyukkyu both turn to look at him. Sanghyuk tries to resist the urge to shrink back under their gaze, caught off guard by their acknowledgment. "He said eye of newt," Sanghyuk says, and Junsik pumps his fist triumphantly.

They make their Hiccuping Potion successfully, though Professor Kim docks them a few points for the slightly too thin consistency of their brew. Sanghyuk gathers his books, preparing to head back to the Ravenclaw common room for some studying, but Junsik catches him by the back of his robe on the way out.

"Hey, Sanghyuk. We're going to play some Wizard Skittles, want to come?" 

"I'm sorry, I don't know how."

"We'll teach you," Hyukkyu says. 

Sanghyuk looks down at the books in his arms. He supposes Transfiguration can wait. "Okay, I'll play."

"Excellent!" Junsik throws an arm around Sanghyuk's narrow shoulders, tugging him in closer. "You'll be ready to beat Hyukkyu in no time."

 

Sanghyuk ends up spending a lot of time with Junsik and Hyukkyu. Wizard Skittles is hardly Dragonball Z on Playstation, but it's fun, resulting in the three of them getting kicked out of the library for being too rowdy on more than one occasion. They teach him other games, Wizard's Chess and the board game version of Quidditch, games that pureblood kids grew up playing. Sanghyuk becomes the best Exploding Snap player out of the first years, with reflexes so fast everyone is convinced he's somehow cheating. 

Through Junsik and Hyukkyu he meets other students. There's Seungbin, the second year Slytherin who is obsessed with Hyukkyu, Eonyoung, a second year Gryffindor with a good sense of humor, and Jaewan, a first year Hufflepuff in their potions class, always armed with a pocket full of snacks. Sanghyuk talks to more people after meeting the two of them than he did in the first three months of school. 

He's still shy, rarely the first one to speak in a group, but as the year progresses he grows more comfortable in his place at Hogwarts. When Eugene tells him about plans for a first year prank war, pitting house against house, Sanghyuk isn't too timid to join the fun. 

"Any ideas?" Donggeun asks. 

"We could rearrange the books for one of our classes in the library so only we know the order," one of the more nerdy Ravenclaw boys suggests. 

"It has to be something that isn't only funny to us," Uijin says. 

"How about a potion?" Sanghyuk says. 

"What did you have in mind?"

"You know, a laughing potion isn't too hard to make."

Eugene sits back on his heels, tapping his fingertips together like a comic book villain. "I like the way you think, Sanghyuk."

It takes some careful sneaking around the dungeon and some hefty bribery to get the house elves to help, but on Monday morning, the uncontrolled laughter from the Slytherin table echo out across the Great Hall. It was easy enough to slip the potion unnoticed into their water glasses. Practically too easy. 

A mild laughing potion isn't designed to be _too_ bothersome, the effects fading typically fading away within a few hours. This means that Junsik and Hyukkyu are still bursting into sporadic giggles by the time they meet in the hallway for class. 

Hyukkyu takes one look at Sanghyuk and says, pointing, "You!"

"I'm going to kill you," Junsik says, punctuating each word with a laugh. 

They try their hardest to put aim any kind of spell at Sanghyuk, but the effects of the potion make it too hard to get anything out correctly. 

Of course, they get their revenge later that day when the entire Ravenclaw first year class is subjected to a jelly legs hex. 

 

 

☆

 

 

In their second year at Hogwarts, most students begin to develop clear strengths and weaknesses. Sanghyuk isn't great with History of Magic, lacking the same background the pureblood students have grown up with. He struggles to relax his mind enough for Divination, which feels more like an exercise in creatively bullshitting than actual, measurable magic. He's good with Charms and Transfiguration and, to his surprise, Herbology.

The plants seem to take a liking to him. His Moly plants look the best of anyone in his class, standing tall with pristine white leaves, and the Leaping Toadstools they cultivate in the woods seem to jump right into his pail as though they're happy to be carried off by him, while others hop frantically over tree roots to avoid capture. 

He's not aware of the reputation he's gained (if anything, he hoped he'd be known for his knack for Transfiguration or his Exploding Snap record), not until a fifth year named Hyungwoo sits across from him while he studies in the library.

"Sanghyuk, is it?" Hyungwoo says, smiling at him. Sanghyuk only knows who he is because he's the Gryffindor prefect, as noted by the badge pinned slightly askew to his robes. 

"Yes?"

"I've heard that you're good at herbology. Is that true?"

Sanghyuk shrugs. "I'm pretty good with plants," he says, more factual than modest. 

"Great!" Hyungwoo slaps his palms down against the table with enthusiasm. "I need your help."

"Me?" 

"See, I really need to get into the NEWT level class and I just. I don't think that plants and I get along."

"And you need me to-"

"I need you to tutor me," Hyungwoo says. "I hate to ask for a second year's help but I heard you were one of the best and you don't have your own OWLs to study for, so."

Sanghyuk's never tutored anyone, but he's got the free time, after all, and how hard can it be? "Sure, I'll help you."

Hyungwoo smiles again, his shoulders sagging in relief. "I already asked Professor Han if we could use the greenhouse after dinner and he let me have the key. Prefect privileges. Tomorrow, then?"

 

As it turns out, tutoring is harder than Sanghyuk expects. Hyungwoo is not exaggerating about his lack of skill in herbology. He describes the exam to Sanghyuk – first, a written portion where the students have to answer questions about uses of certain plants, where they commonly grow, and how to identify them. Then there’s the practical portion, where the students are expected to harvest one of the most difficult plants covered in their lessons, the Fanged Geranium. While Fanged Geranium leaves and roots are necessary for a number of important medicinal potions, they are notoriously temperamental, known to release a chemical into their leaves that renders them useless for potion making when they feel threatened. Extracting one from the soil requires a delicate hand and a deep understanding of the plant’s structure.

That’s where Sanghyuk and Hyungwoo start. As a star pupil and a prefect, they’re both on Professor Han’s good side and he leaves them a whole trough of plants to practice on in the greenhouse.

Sanghyuk shows him how to carve out the Geranium's long and often tangled roots, leaving enough room to safely extract the plant from the soil to make working on removing its leaves easier. It feels weird at first to correct someone who is his senior, but watching Hyungwoo accidentally strangle yet another plant gets rid of his hesitation quick enough. 

Their second session together goes a little better. Hyungwoo may actually be getting the hang of it now and they're relaxed enough that Sanghyuk can finally ask the question on his mind. 

“So, you said that you heard I was a good student? Who did you hear it from?”

Hyungwoo reaches up, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his glove, leaving behind a muddy streak. “Do you know Sungwoong?”

“Sungwoong?” Sanghyuk says. Sungwoong is one of the Ravenclaw prefects, one of those guys that manages to be well-liked by everyone. He’s not like their Head Boy, who only seems to interact with the lower classmen to take away points. Even as the other fifth years stress about their OWLs, Sungwoong still makes time to play games with the lower classmen, saying that it’s his duty as a prefect to know the younger students. “Yeah, I know him.”

Sanghyuk has never had a crush before. He’s not entirely sure what it’s supposed to feel like, but he suspects the weird drop in his stomach whenever he makes eye contact with Sungwoong is a part of it. He’s so distracted that he narrowly avoids getting his fingers nipped by the Geranium's sharp teeth.

"Well, he said you were the best in Ravenclaw and I figured the best in a house full of nerds was probably the best in the school."

Sungwoong thinks he's the best. Sanghyuk keeps his head down, pretending to focus on the plants so Hyungwoo won't see him blush.

 

It takes a few more tutoring sessions, but just in time for the OWLs, Sanghyuk knows that Hyungwoo is ready. They share a Butterbeer in Hogsmeade to commemorate the occasion, and maybe it's the calm before the storm of exam time giving him too much energy, but Sanghyuk feels a little devious. 

“Okay, I’ll let you in on a secret,” Sanghyuk says, struggling to suppress his smile. “Not many people know about this, but it’ll get you an Outstanding for sure. Geraniums like being sung to.”

“Singing? What kind of singing?”

“They like slower songs, like maybe a ballad?”

Hyungwoo raises an eyebrow. “And you’re sure this works? Why didn’t Professor Han tell us this?”

“Because he wants you to learn it the hard way, obviously. If everyone knew this trick it would make the exam too easy.”

“If you’re sure,” Hyungwoo says, looking between the [plants] and Sanghyuk. If there’s one advantage of being as nondescript as Sanghyuk has been most of his life, it’s that no one expects anything other than honesty out of him. “I’ll practice some Park Hyoshin.”

 

Hyungwoo passes his exam with an Outstanding. Sanghyuk knows this because Hyungwoo chases him across the quad waving his graded paper at him, shouting, "I can't believe you lied to me! Lee Sanghyuk!" 

 

 

☆

 

By the time that his fourth year starts, Sanghyuk is mostly happy at Hogwarts. He doing well in his classes, he enjoys the things he's learning, he's got some close friends, and the food here isn't bad. 

The one problem he has isn't the fault of Hogwarts. It's not the fault of anyone other than Sanghyuk, who was the one to develop this misplaced infatuation at the beginning.

He still likes Sungwoong.

Sanghyuk had hoped that a busy summer would squash what butterflies remained at the end of his third year. He spent a lot of time at home that summer, showing off to his younger brother and eating tons of his grandmother's food. The PC bang paled in comparison to the Ravenclaw common room during rounds of wizard chess, but he went his brother anyway, fingers rusty on the keys now that he was more used to wands. He got to visit Junsik's family home, a place brimming with magic from the self-pruning rose bushes outside to the family portraits on the walls that shifted when Sanghyuk walked past. He got to experience his first professional Quidditch game, QC Seoul against the Busan Whales, and drank Firewhisky produced from a flask Junsik hid in his pocket.

It was a nice summer. It should've been enough of a distraction to get Sanghyuk's mind off the fact that he had a crush on a guy he'd exchanged maybe five sentences with during three years of school. But then he runs into Sungwoong on the train, and it feels like nothing has changed. 

"Welcome back," Sungwoong says, "Did you have a nice summer?"

Sanghyuk notices a few things. First, the Head Boy badge pinned to Sungwoong's hoodie. Second, he's had a haircut recently, one that's a little too short. And the third, which Sanghyuk notices when Sungwoong smiles at him (out of politeness only, Sanghyuk is sure). His teeth are fixed. The crooked teeth at the center of his mouth are gone and his smile is completely smooth.

Then Sanghyuk's brain catches up, reminding him that he's been looking closely at Sungwoong for too long. "It was good. I went to my first quidditch game."

"Did you like it? My dad used to take me to QC Seoul games when I was younger," Sungwoong says. A large group of students round the corner then, shoving past them with their bags in tow. The train corridors are narrow and it forces Sungwoong and Sanghyuk to stand closer, the tips of their toes practically touching as Sanghyuk is whacked unceremoniously from behind with a first year's duffle. 

"It was a lot of fun," Sanghyuk says. "I've never been around that many wizards at once."

"Well, if you go again, maybe we can meet up," Sungwoong says.

Sanghyuk doesn't get to respond- maybe a good thing, because it feels a little like his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth. Sungwoong reaches out, touching Sanghyuk's arm briefly. "I have to go help with the check-ins. But listen, if you need anything this year, I'm Head Boy, you know."

"Congratulations," Sanghyuk says before rushing away. 

When he makes it back to his train compartment, Sanghyuk deflects the half-dozen comments on the flush of his cheeks, sinking down in his seat to watch the Korean countryside pass by.

 

There was a rumor floating around at the end of last year. Someone heard from someone else who heard from their friend who told Junsik that a Ravenclaw upperclassman, Ham Jangsik, knew how to perform an Animagus spell.

Sanghyuk only knew of Animagi from his Transfiguration class. They were taught that the process was arduous and time-consuming, so dangerous that it could result in permanent disfigurement or half-animal state. This made becoming an Animagus a rare feat, only a dozen or so registered throughout Korea. It seemed impossible to Sanghyuk that a wizard only two years older than him could use that kind of magic successfully. 

It was the other thing in the back of Sanghyuk's mind over the summer. He and Junsik had talked about it in hushed whispers, on the off chance that Junsik's parents would pick up their conversation with an eavesdropping spell. How cool it would be, how special. But too much of a risk, right?

Evidently, they weren't the only ones still thinking about it. When Sanghyuk exits the train, Hyukkyu is waiting for him, Junsik in tow. "I think we should become Animagi," Hyukkyu says under his breath, and Junsik silently pumps his fist.

Jangsik is hard to track down. He's never in the common room and oddly enough for a Ravenclaw, rarely in the library. They ask his best friend, a seventh year Gryffindor named Yoonsup who charges them 10,000 won for the information. "He likes to read out on the Forgotten Grounds," he says. 

(As soon as Yoonsup's back is turned, Hyukkyu repeats, "Forgotten grounds", imitating his lisp. Sanghyuk tries not to laugh.) 

Sanghyuk gets why they call it the Forgotten Grounds. There's weeds growing up to his knees, a thick coat of rust covering the abandoned metal bleachers that had once been used for Quidditch matches. Jangsik is sat against a tree with winding roots that stretch out for yards, a book titled "The Role of Women in Wizarding Society" propped up on his knees. 

"Can I help you?" he asks, continuing to focus on his book. 

Before anyone else can speak, Junsik nudges Sanghyuk forward, whispering, "You're a Ravenclaw too!"

"We want to become Animagi," Sanghyuk says. 

"Good luck with that."

"We heard you can do it?" Sanghyuk tries. "That you're the best in the whole school at Transfiguration?"

Jangsik looks up at them now, straightening his glasses as he evaluates each of them. Sanghyuk isn't sure what he's looking for. Finally Jangsik says, "Tonight. Meet me here after lights out. Bring 50,000 won each. Don't tell anyone." 

 

 

Later that night, Sanghyuk sneaks out of his dorm bed for the first time. He takes precaution, leaving a body-shaped lump of clothes under his blankets and charming the soles of his shoes to make less noise when he makes his way down the creaking spiral staircase. 

The others are waiting for him back in the Forbidden Grounds. "Money?" Jangsik says, and Sanghyuk forks it over. 

Jangsik lines them up and hands them each a mandrake leaf and a vial. "Hold this in you mouth until I tell you to stop."

Mandrake leaf, as it turns out, tastes about as appetizing as it looks. It's so bitter that Sanghyuk has to resist the natural urge to spit it back out.

"You have to remember, you're not the one who gets to decide what animal you become," Jangsik says, tapping his wand absently against his thighs. "If you do become one, that is."

Junsik mumbles something around his mandrake leaf that sounds like, "What animal are you?" or possibly, "I think I have the flu." 

"I'm a cat. A Siamese cat." 

It feels like forever before Jangsik checks his watch and nods decisively. "Spit the leaf into the vial and add a few pieces of hair. When you're ready, I'll pour some dew into your vial. Then I'll tell you what to say and you'll chant it seven times with your wand pointed to you heart. As soon as you've finished the last one, drink the potion, and you should start to feel yourself transform."

"That's it?" Sanghyuk has to ask.

"Yeah, I thought it was supposed to be, like, crazy and something about a storm with lightning," Junsik says. 

"They teach you all those steps in class because they want you to think it's hard. If everyone could become an animagus it would be chaos and they'd never be able to register them all," Jangsik says, shrugging. "My dad works in the Ministry."

"And this will work?" Hyukkyu asks. 

"It works," Jangsik says, and to prove his point, he transforms into a cat right there. He's a small, wiry cat with bright blue eyes that somehow still retain the slightly smug expression Jangsik had been wearing. The transformation back to human form is seamless, as smooth as a diver emerging up from the water. Sanghyuk is impressed, but not entirely calm. 

Still, he tries to forget that, focusing on the incantation. _Amato Animo Animato Animagus_ , six times in unison with Junsik and Hyukkyu. The seventh is not quite in sync, each of them rushing to swallow down their potion. 

When the last drop hits his throat, Sanghyuk feels himself begin to change. It isn't painful as much as it is disorienting, the feeling of his bones rearranging themselves and his limbs shifting. Sanghyuk closes his eyes and when he opens them next, it feels almost like waking up in an unfamiliar bed, a completely foreign view. He's low to the ground and he can see so much of the dark surrounding more clearly than he could before. He tries to speak, but what comes out instead is a hoarse _meow_.

From behind him, Sanghyuk hears another meow. He turns, light on his feet, and sees a tortoiseshell cat testing out its new body by stretching its back with its front paws extended. Next to it is, well. Sanghyuk's attempt at a laugh comes out as another meow, this one higher pitched. 

It's an alpaca. Fluffy and white with doey eyes. Even without being able to speak, Sanghyuk knows immediately that it must be Hyukkyu. The resemblance is uncanny. 

The transition back to human isn't nearly as graceful as Jangsik's had been. Sanghyuk stumbles on his feet, bumping into an equally unsteady Junsik who is already cracking up at Hyukkyu's expense.

"An alpaca," Junsik wheezes. "Sweet Merlin, thank you for this gift."

For a skinny boy, the punch Hyukkyu lands on Junsik's arm manages to leave a bruise that lasts the rest of the week.

 

Sanghyuk's Animagus form is a black cat. There's plenty of cats around the Hogwarts campus that he doesn't stand out at all when he strolls along the castle walls or through the gardens. Sometimes Junsik comes out with him, but Hyukkyu has to wait until night time as not to arouse any suspicion that might emerge from a new alpaca strutting across the quad. 

It's on one of his solo walks that Sanghyuk finds another Ravenclaw student with a secret reading spot. The small storage room off of the Tapestry Corridor is surprisingly cozy, with an oversized armchair sat in the middle of some discarded coat racks and empty picture frames. Sanghyuk notices it one evening when the door is ajar, lamp light from inside illuminating the otherwise dark corridor. He pokes his head through the door and to his surprise, the chair is occupied by Sungwoong. He's seated with his back against one armrest and his feet draped over the other, facing the door. When he sees Sanghyuk, he perks up and sets his book down.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, voice soft. 

Sanghyuk waits, still, as Sungwoong reaches for him. He doesn't know how to be a real cat, who might flinch away from the touch of a stranger. Sungwoong is no stranger and this isn't exactly how Sanghyuk wants to be touched by him, but he won't turn it down. The soft brush of Sungwoong's fingertips across the top of Sanghyuk's head makes him feel warm, and he can't help but lean up into it, a steady purr vibrating in his stomach. 

"Where did you come from, huh?"

 

Sungwoong is gentle when he leans downs to scoop Sanghyuk up and drop him into his lap. Time is a funny thing as a cat - there are times where Sanghyuk checks his watch after transforming back expecting to see that hours have passed when, in reality, it's only been one or two. However long they sit there, Sungwoong reading and stroking Sanghyuk's fur, feels too long for a Head Boy to be hiding out. Sanghyuk even falls asleep for a few minutes, something he's yet to do as a cat. 

Eventually, though, Sungwoong closes his book. "It's time for bed, kitty," he tells Sanghyuk, giving him one last belly rub. Sanghyuk is reluctant to hop down but he knows that Sungwoong has duties to perform and he has to get back to Ravenclaw Tower himself before lights out. 

When Sanghyuk returns to his human form, he swears he can still feel the warmth of Sungwoong's touch. 

 

It becomes a routine of sorts for them. Sanghyuk can't ignore his own studies to sit with Sungwoong every night, but when his workload is feeling light enough, he will slip into cat form and make his way to the Tapestry Corridor to see if Sungwoong is there. 

Sungwoong is always happy to see him. The first few times, Sanghyuk waits to be picked up but now he hops right into Sungwoong's lap, settling in while Sungwoong rubs a knuckle behind his ears. When Sungwoong has papers and a quill out, Sanghyuk knows to sit at his side instead, giving Sungwoong more room to write. 

Sometimes, Sungwoong talks to him. Things like, "Good kitty" and "Do you like when I rub under your chin?", and also things like, "You know, I don't know if I am ready to leave this place at the end of the school year."

Sanghyuk wishes he could respond. It's not exactly like he can go up to Sungwoong as a human and tell him that he thinks Sungwoong will do great at anything he sets his mind to outside of Hogwarts, not without most likely coming off as a stalker and getting busted for being an unregistered Animagus. All he can do is nuzzle his face against Sungwoong's stomach and hope that gives him a little comfort. 

 

Sanghyuk had expected that if anyone were to get them caught, it would have been the alpaca's fault. He does not expect to run into Junhyung, the fifth year Ravenclaw prefect, coming out of the fifth floor bathroom while he and Junsik are in the middle of transforming back to their human forms. 

Junhyung's eyes widen behind his thick-rimmed glasses. "Did you two just-?"

Junsik looks at Sanghyuk. "Run?"

There's no point of running. Junhyung already knows and he could rat them out to the headmaster, or at least the heads of their houses. Junsik and Sanghyuk follow him back to Ravenclaw tower, heads hanging low. 

"I told you we should've gone into that empty classroom," Sanghyuk whispers. 

"Maybe _you_ should've transformed quicker."

There's a small office to the side of the Ravenclaw common room. It was originally created to house security during earlier Hogwarts battles but now it's mostly empty, save for a few disciplinary procedures. Junhyung has them wait there while he fetches Sungwoong. In a way, that's worse than telling Professor Kim. 

"I'll deal with them," they can hear Sungwoong say outside of the doorway. "You go on to bed."

Sungwoong waits until the door is closed behind him to speak. "Are you two aware of what the punishment for being an unregistered Animagus at Hogwarts is?" he asks. They both shake their heads. "It's expulsion."

"Expulsion?" Junsik asks in disbelief.

"It's a very serious offense. A less proficient wizard and someone could end up half-horse or something and Hogwarts wants their students to be wise enough to know it isn't worth the risk"

Sanghyuk sinks down in his chair. 

"They also need to know who is where in this castle. Hogwarts is your guardian when you are here. That's a big responsibility, your parents are trusting us not to let you be stupid enough to hurt yourselves."

"So, what are you going to do with us?" Junsik asks, sounding as scared as Sanghyuk has ever heard him. "We didn't mean to cause any trouble, all we do is explore the castle, I promise."

Sungwoong sighs. "Nothing. I've never liked giving out punishments. Go back to Slytherin and I would urge you to think very hard before you use your animal form at Hogwarts again." 

Junsik's relief is palpable and he gives Sungwoong several bows in rapid succession. "Thank you, hyung. I mean it."

The door closes again, but Sungwoong doesn't move, not yet dismissing Sanghyuk. "I'm curious, what animals are you two?"

"Our friend is an alpaca," Sanghyuk says. He can see the slight grin Sungwoong is holding back. "And Junsik and I are both cats."

"Cats," Sungwoong echoes. "Sanghyuk, what kind of cat are you?" 

It's too hard for Sanghyuk to look up at him. "A black cat." 

"A black cat who spends a lot of time in the Tapestry Corridor?" Sungwoong asks. Sanghyuk can only nod, feeling abruptly embarrassed. "But why?"

"I liked spending time with you," Sanghyuk answers truthfully. "I didn't know you would be there the first time but it. It was nice."

He doesn't notice Sungwoong reaching out until his hand is cupping Sanghyuk's chin, tilting his head up carefully. "It was nice," Sungwoong says, firm. "But you didn't need to be a cat to spend time with me."

It's like that time on the train, except 20 times worse. If Sanghyuk didn't know any better he would think he was afflicted with that "tongue stuck to roof of mouth" jinx. "I'm sorry," he says.

"Don't be. You're a very cute cat."

**Author's Note:**

> actually i enjoy you more than i predict you will enjoy this don't hate me


End file.
